Disaster and Happiness: A Transition

February 11-21, 2011

The river is overflowing with water on one side of the dam.  On the other side, the river is so dry that you can clearly see the ground surface.


A week long celebration of sleepless nights and struggles to pass.  This week, I experienced the heaviest feeling I felt in my 20 years of existence in this world.  All the pressures of hard thinking, of sleeplessness, of trying to make it in time, of hoping to pass, and of everything about our thesis, coming down on me.  I'm like a dam trying to control millions of cubic feet of water.


But, actually, this week is not all about sufferings. There are also moments of delight, of laughter, of bonding with friends, of feeling secure with them, of realizing that, for the first time in my life, I created a horcrux.

The term horcrux is an invention of J.K. Rowling, first mentioned in the sixth Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Creating a horcrux occurs when one rips the soul by committing an intensely evil act, such as murder. The portion of the soul ripped away is then encased in some type of meaningful object. Thus, if the physical body of a person with a horcrux were destroyed, the person would still not be dead, unless horcrux containing the piece of soul was also found and destroyed. Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-horcrux.htm

The word Horcrux may be derived from the French dehors, meaning "outside," and crux, meaning "essence." Source: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Horcrux

Before I continue, let me just clarify things. First, I haven't murdered anyone (yet).  Second, I am not a wizard (although that would be wickedly cool).  Third, I would prefer death than immortality.  Now, let's continue to my story.  What I meant when I created a horcrux was that I shared a part of my soul to my friends.  This is the first time that I shared a link or a bond to my friends.  It is almost painful to know that there will come a time when everybody will have their own separate ways.  It feels like tearing your soul apart.  But inspite of all of these, my soul, my memory will still remember them for the rest of my life.


The thesis defense went well.  We all passed, what a relief.  The worst is over, the only thing left is the graduation.   An intense feeling swells inside of me.  In just a snap of a finger, the dam is gone.  The water floods the dry part of the river.  It quenches the thirst of the dry ground.  All my hopes and dreams stocked and stacked on the other side of the dam, rushes in to me.  I am overflowing with happiness.  I can now see my self, wearing a toga, atop of me is a cap with flat, square top.  Sitting beside me are my dear friends, my classmates, my batch mates.  All are wearing their happy faces and cheerful smiles.  Everybody are congratulating everyone (Huh?! Am I day dreaming again?! But no, this dream will definitely happen, I swear).


An after-thesis-defense party was held at Reymond Manahan Gabayoyo's crib.  Attendees include Aldrian Alquero, Abigail Artus, Ronald Capule, Niña Wendy Cruz, Jelsie Egos, Rebecca Punzalan, and yours truly (not to mention the mosquitoes..haha).  We raided his house, we sang our hearts out with the videoke, and ate snacks.  His mother and his sister are very accommodating.  They served us sumptuous meals for supper. I am very grateful to have this meal together with my friends.

Trick the Heart: Aal Izz Well

February 10, 2011

Naomi Joyze (my niece)

Today is Yomi's (my niece) birthday. It has been seven years since my elder sister gave birth to her first baby. She named her Naomi Joyze, coming from the combination of the names of my parents', of her husband's parents, of her husband's, and hers. Yomi is very friendly; she easily gets comfortable to whoever takes care of her. Her charm is irresistible on adults and her friendliness attracts many children to befriend her.


It's been a while since Yomi, Alena (my second niece), and Biboy (real name: Kirk, my nephew, the youngest) visited. I miss all of them, not to mention their frolics and mischiefs. Having them here at the house is a lot of work, but, at the end of the day, one can't help but smile about their innocence, their curiosity, and their silly questions. A child's life is full of joy and excitement, a lot of things they do is for the first time. In their heart, everything is fine; all is well. I miss my childhood. I miss the times when tying my shoelace was the hardest thing to do.



For the first time, I arrived early at school. There is a sudden change in temperature, from a chilly weather last week to a scorching hot one this week. Our first subject is Laws, Contracts, Specifications, and Ethics. After my classmate presented his report, my professor shared additional information about the report. He also gave us some encouraging (or discouraging) words about our thesis defense which will be held in less than two weeks from now. I am both nervous and excited. Nervous about the defense itself, and excited on the forthcoming graduation. Whenever I am nervous, I do a trick; I trick my heart and believe all is well. Whatever result from the defense may be, I think, I feel, and I strongly believe that the whole class will all pass the subject itself.  Nothing can stop us from graduating on April 4, 2011!!!


We met our instructor on Electronic Navigational Aids and Devices, who also happens to be our instructor on Broadcast Engineering and Acoustics, after my previous instructor gave up the subject, on the corridor. My classmates asked him to temporarily cancel the class on Monday (February 14), because it's a Valentines Day. He agreed but posed a condition. He said that he will not attend both classes on Monday (we have two subjects every Monday, both classes are with him) for as long as we will present to him a picture of ourselves on a date (as in, boy meets girl, they eat together, they watch movie together, something like that). We all cheered, because we will have a long weekend and we think that his condition is just a joke, but no... he is dead serious. The last time we thought he was joking was when he assigned an after-new-year homework. We were asked to watch the movie '3 Idiots' and answer the questions he posed. We never took it seriously until after we heard from the other sections that the homework will be written by hand in a letter size bond paper, to be passed on the first day of classes the next year.

3 Idiots (Hindi: थ्री इडीयट्स) is a 2009 Indian comedy film directed by Rajkumar Hirani, with a screenplay by Abhijat Joshi, and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It was loosely adapted from the novel Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat. 3 Idiots stars Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Omi Vaidya, Parikshit Sahni and Boman Irani. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org


Farhan Qureshi and Raju Rastogi want to re-unite with their fellow collegian, Rancho, after faking a stroke abroad an Air India plane, and excusing himself from his wife - trouser less - respectively. Enroute, they encounter another student, Chatur Ramalingam, now a successful businessman, who reminds them of a bet they had undertaken 10 years ago. The trio, while recollecting hilarious antics, including their run-ins with the Dean of Delhi's Imperial College of Engineering, Viru Sahastrabudhe, race to locate Rancho, at his last known address - little knowing the secret that was kept from them all this time. Written by rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

Well, the movie is not bad, in fact, it became one of my favorite movies. Aside from being able to relate on the characters' course (engineering) in college , I enjoyed the unique storyline and the mind-boggling twists and turns. This movie is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend watching this movie; a two thumbs up for me. Aal izz well!!!

Hell met Heaven

February 8, 2011


Helmet sales are booming, especially now that there is a policy prohibiting motorcycle riders from traveling without wearing a helmet.  This policy is strictly implemented here in Bulacan. Actually, being safe and secure is not really the reason why motorcycle riders, nowadays, buy helmets. The real reason? Riders are afraid of Land Transportation Officers.  It is like choosing between being robbed or having your house burned.  Both are evil, but naturally, one would choose the lesser evil.  And in this case, buying helmets is the lesser evil.


I arrived almost an hour late in our class, the reporters in our subject, ECE Laws, Contracts, Specifications, and Ethics, are reporting and the class is listening, not to the report but, to their own small talks.  I searched for the professor and luckily, he is a no show.  With this phenomena, I can, therefore, conclude that I am not technically late because (according to Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, well, not really.. haha) relative to our professor's arrival in our class, which is improbable, I am infinitely earlier than him today.

General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics. General relativity generalises special relativity and Newton's law of universal gravitation, providing a unified description of gravity as a geometric property of space and time, or spacetime. In particular, the curvature of spacetime is directly related to the four-momentum (mass-energy and linear momentum) of whatever matter and radiation are present. 

Einstein's theory has important astrophysical implications. For example, it implies the existence of black holes—regions of space in which space and time are distorted in such a way that nothing, not even light, can escape—as an end-state for massive stars. There is ample evidence that such stellar black holes as well as more massive varieties of black hole are responsible for the intense radiation emitted by certain types of astronomical objects such as active galactic nuclei or microquasars. The bending of light by gravity can lead to the phenomenon of gravitational lensing, where multiple images of the same distant astronomical object are visible in the sky. General relativity also predicts the existence of gravitational waves, which have since been measured indirectly; a direct measurement is the aim of projects such as LIGO and NASA/ESA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. In addition, general relativity is the basis of current cosmological models of a consistently expanding universe. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org

61 years ago, Juana, my father's mother, gave birth to a baby boy, she named her Rodrigo. 51 years ago, Corazon Aquino gave birth to a baby boy, she named her Benigno Simeon. 24 years ago, my classmate's mother gave birth to a baby boy, she named her Libert.


Our instructor in Electronic Navigational Aids and Devices retold us the lesson he discussed yesterday, only today, I understood it better, in a way (maybe retelling the lesson does that to me).  His voice is barely audible, especially in this large room, full of noisy students.  Fortunately, he knows the limit of his voice, in fact, to overcome this, he uses a lapel microphone with voice amplifier to broaden the reach of his voice.  But today, he came without it.  The lecture was soooo....(zzzzzzz, huh? what? oh!..Hey! I'm still awake, who says I'm sleeping?)...boring (no offense, sir!).


Today, Libert, using his liberty, treats the whole class in lunch.  Aside from being rich, he is also very generous and kind, the traits you will seldom find from rich people.  He is one those students in our class who is commonly misunderstood.  Maybe it's just his.... accent, well, I don't know.


We (Aldrian, Abigail, Wendy, Jelsie, Rebecca, and yours truly) arrived to Abigail's Mansion.  As Abby enters the premises of her mansion, she is warmly welcomed by the guard, who opened the gates for her, and called her 'Your Excellency'.  The mansion has a very large common room with ornate decors.  In it were state-of-the-art gadgets and appliances.  The chandelier hanging in the center of the room is made from gold and diamonds.  The rich-colored carpet complements the tapestry hanging by the 10-foot high windows.  Highly furnished wooden thrones with red, soft cushions surrounds an exquisite wooden coffee table with a crystal clear glass table top.  Every inch of this mansion makes me look small, as if I alienate the place.  After all, I am only a humble peasant.

To Be Continued...

February 7, 2011


I left my calculator on my friend's apartment last Thursday.  Today, our exam on Electronic Navigational Aids and Devices comprises identification and problem solving types.  I approached my friend on the corridor adjacent to the room where we will be conducting our exams.  I assumed she knew that the calculator left in her apartment is mine.  I was wrong!


Love is there when I am with her...
Understands my mood swings, my tantrums...
Deep knowledge of each other, no secrets left unrevealed...
Yearning for her still lingers...


Just in time!  I am almost finished answering the identification type of questions and started solving the problem when her (twin?) sister arrives with my calculator in hand.  She approaches her (twin?) sister, grabs the calculator and passes it to me.  The calculator felt alien in my hands, as if it wasn't mine. Well, nevertheless, a calculator is still a calculator.

Cha Dae Woong accidentally releases a gumiho, a legendary fox with nine tails who was trapped inside of a painting by Grandma Samshin, by drawing 9 tails to the fox painting. The gumiho wanted to be human before but was not able to fulfill the request of finding a husband because a rumor was spread claiming that she eats livers of humans. Dae Woong meets a pretty girl after he wakes up from a life threatening fall not knowing that she is the fox he released. When Dae Woong finds out about what he did, he must try to keep her happy and hide the fact that she is a gumiho from everyone. However, because Dae Woong has gumiho's Orb that saved his life, he has no choice but to let her stay with him. As the story goes on, the legendary gumiho (later called Miho) wants to be human. Miho is informed by a veterinarian named Park Dong Joo (who is half human) that she must drink his blood to become a human in 100 days while Dae Woong will have to keep her magical fox orb meanwhile. Moreover, Dae Woong will not be able to date anyone else but gumiho within the 100 days. However, Dong Joo doesn't tell Miho that in 100 days, in order to become human, Dae Woong must die. Trouble brews when Miho and Dae Woong eventually fall in love. Synopsis from http://en.wikipedia.org

I finished the exam, having to copy some diagram from my classmate in front of me (she doesn't know..shh).  I returned the calculator, surely it's not mine.  Mine is still left in her apartment.


In the darkness of the night...
I hear odd sounds, coming from odd places...
Neither from ghosts nor from missing objects...
Not even my own mother's doings...


There is a posted note on the bulletin board.  The title of the note, 'CANDIDATES FOR GRADUATION'.  I browsed and saw my class section.  There are 36 names.  Mine is fifth.  A mixture of happiness and sorrow swells inside me.  I am one step ahead to my hard-earned diploma.


With this ending, marks the new beginning...
We stand united, bonded and imbued...
We will make the most out of everything...
We will...For our dreams to be continued...

Toper the Torpe

February 6, 2011


I never had the courage to talk to her.  I am what they call in Filipino, a 'torpe'.


The following are percentages of my brain activity and my body process:

• BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP  (duration: lying in bed until I fall asleep)

1. Brain - 70%
2. Body - 30%

As you can see in the figures above, we can conclude that before I sleep, my brain activity is at its peak.  This is caused by some ideas that are still registered and processed by my brain.  Examples of these ideas are conversations with (beautiful) people, my regrets (shudda wudda cuddas), my shameful moments, my fantasies, etc.  In terms of my body process, it is evident that I have no energy left to initiate further movements.

• DURING MY SLEEP  (duration: during my sleep)

1. Brain - 40%
2. Body - 60%

Now, during my sleep, my brain activity goes lower and my body activity goes higher.  Low brain activity is explained by either never having a dream or always forgetting a dream.  High body activity is demonstrated by having hyperactive body reflexes like sleep walking (happened once) and involuntary twisting and kicking (happens regularly).  No wonder, nobody wants to sleep beside me.  

• AS I WAKE UP  (duration: from the time the alarm goes off or my head aches from too much sleep until the time I am finished staring at nothingness)

1. Brain - 20%
2. Body - 80%

You may notice that my brain activity is at its lowest when I wake up.  This is caused by lack of sleep or too much sleep.  At this point, movements are initiated only by body reflexes, thus, having no consent from the brain.  This usually takes 15 minutes at most.  Evident activities are staring at nothingness.

Our choir instructor visited us during our choir practice today.  He is an occasional visitor because he instructs several locales in our area.  He divided our choir into three groups according to the days of service.  The first group is on the choir pews located at the farthest part of the hall, beyond the seats of the ministers/pastors.  These pews, facing the audience, are raised like the seats in an auditorium.  The second group is on the left side pews while the third group is on the right side pews.  Just so you know, the hall of the chapel is divided into two sections; pews on the left section are for males and pews on the right section are for females.  This arrangement proves to be effective in lessening noises caused by conversations of people attending the worship service.


She is seated in the first row of pews for males while I am seated on the choirs' pews.  She is just a few meters from me.

There are many reasons why guys are afraid to approach the opposite sex to start off a relationship. Some of them are ingrained in the three core fears of every man namely: fear of failure, fear of rejection and fear of success. These are the core fears. Other fears are derivatives of these three core fears. These include a feeling of inadequacy and inferiority complex and inappropriate intention. Here are some details of the different fears: 

• Fear of failure - This is a terrible and ensnaring fear that petrifies and stupefies people into inaction. Men are hunters, gamers and they like to win. They are taught by their mothers to win. They do not know how to lose. So the fear of failure can make a guy run around a girl for months and sometimes years without being able to open up and tell her that he admires her. The thought of failing on a project not to talk about a project of getting a girl would stop the brightest of guys to make the attempt.  
• Fear of rejection - Nobody wants to be rejected. Guys, no matter how tough they appear in the exterior, are seriously afraid of being rejected. Women, even when they would desire to go out with a guy, play some pranks and guys because of the fear already ingrained that they may be rejected would rather not venture lest they are rejected. Guys set out expecting the girls to be snobbish. This is engineered by the fear that she is likely to reject their overtures.  
• Fear of success - Interestingly, guys are afraid of succeeding with a girl. While considering meeting a girl, guys get afraid that she might say yes, and then they would have to face the challenge of managing the relationship. Who am I to have such a gorgeous girl? Can I even maintain the relationship with such a top chic? It seems absurd but true that guys are afraid of succeeding with girls some of the times. Here is the fear of inadequacy and inferiority complex captured.  
• Inappropriate intention - Guys see a beautiful or attractive girl and they begin to think sexual intercourse or other inappropriate thoughts about her. When this is at the background, the guy fears that his intentions would be exposed if he goes ahead to ask the girl for attention. This fear is as stifling as the fear of failure, rejection and success is. While a noble intention for a wholesome worthy kind of relationship with a girl would buoy up a guy to take action, an intention for sexual intimacy retards the ability of the brain to respond to the desire of the heart to act. 

So girls, when you have given the neighborhood guy all the signal and he is not still able to come forward to toast you, there is a chance that he restrained by the fear of inappropriate intention towards you. 

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Francis_Nmeribe

I look away whenever she catches me looking at her.  We have been like this for nearly.... six years.

What? Where? How?

February 5, 2011

A lady is on the line talking to the DJ.  The host of the radio show is named 'Papa Dan'.  He is supposed to be a match maker for callers calling to his show.  The lady's name is Christine and she says that she looks like Kristine Hermosa, the local actress.  Christine's voice is so beautiful that the DJ keeps on receiving text messages from listeners.  They say that any male caller on the other line will be so lucky to get her number.  I noticed that the DJ enjoys talking to her.  It is as if there is no male caller on the other line.  Well, I can't blame Papa Dan, the way she speaks will make any boy fall in love with her (voice).


I was awakened by voices.  That's odd, I am the only one who sleeps in this room. Then, I suddenly remembered that my brother came home last night so he is also on the same bedroom as mine.  But I wondered, whose is the other voice?  I looked at my shoulder and saw my mother talking to my brother.  I asked her why is she on our bedroom. She said that she dropped by to talk to my brother while she was doing the laundry on the washing machine.  Actually, we have two washing machines, one is located adjacent to my room and the other is on the ground floor or better yet, the underground floor.


I have four aunts, Marciana, Rebecca, Adelaida, and Esther.  When Aunt Rebecca flew back from Florida, USA, she remodeled the part of the second floor of our house so that she can have her own house here in the Philippines.  Although she requested a separate electric meter for her house, the water piping is still connected to the main meter of the house.  Aunt Rebecca's house is complete with the basic rooms of a regular house, a living room/dining room/kitchen, a  bedroom, a comfort room, a shower room, and a balcony. In it were appliances necessary for her daily life, including the washing machine I mentioned above.  Before she went back to America, she entrusted her house to my family.  Now, my brother and I are the caretakers of her house.


I think my younger sister has gone to school.  There is no movement in the kitchen or in the living room.  I ate breakfast with my brother and we talked about the things he do and the things other people do.  After eating, I tried to clean our house (but I failed).  Then, as I was arranging the furnitures, I suddenly remembered that my school bag needs cleaning, too.  You see, I am a (slightly) disciplined person.  I never throw any of my trash (candy wrappers, etc.) on the road or on the streets.  I do whatever it takes to find a garbage bin and put the trash in there.  But if I can't find any,  I'll just open my bag and put the trash in there.  The thing is, I always forget remove the trash on my bag when I get home.  But this time, I remembered (yipee!).  I grabbed my bag and took out all the things inside, including photocopies of lectures, past quizzes, 2 pocket books of novels written by John Grisham, book on Laws, Contracts, Specifications, and Ethics written by my professor, a ballpoint pen, a portable umbrella, a folding fan, my wallet, my coin purse, my school ID, some candy wrappers, loose coins, and my brother's... oopss!!  Where is my brother's 2GB flash disk?!?


Today, I officially make my own blog page at http://www.blogger.com.  I customized it and transferred my blogs/notes from http://www.facebook.com/ to this site.  That's all. ^_^


I searched every possible place to find the missing flash disk.  I opened every drawer, I checked every room.. wait a minute.. I haven't checked my younger sister's bedroom.  I opened there door and what the heck?!?  I thought she has gone to school, but there she is, attending to her hair and still wearing her sleeping gown.  Well, at least I can save the time searching her room.  I asked her if she happened to see the missing flash disk and she said she placed it inside the box of a wrist watch.  At last! The case of the missing 2GB flash disk is officially closed.. but my guitar capo is still missing, which is, by the way, given as a gift by my female friend.  I hope she will understand.. T_T


My brother came home from the gathering of organists and choir leaders of our church.  After the gathering, he bought lunch for us from our family's favorite restaurant, Ligaya's.  He bought grilled pork chop, (very unique and delicious) soup, and lumpiang sariwa.

Lumpia are pastries of Chinese origin similar to spring rolls popular in Indonesia and the Philippines.  The term lumpia derives from lunpia (traditional Chinese: 潤餅; pinyin: rùnbǐng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jūn-piáⁿ, lūn-piáⁿ) in the Hokkien language.  The recipe, both fried and fresh versions, was brought by the Chinese immigrants from the Fujian province of China to Southeast Asia and became popular where they settled in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Lumpiang Sariwa, or fresh spring rolls in English, consist of minced ubod (heart of palm), flaked chicken, crushed peanuts, and turnips as an extender in a double wrapping of lettuce leaf and a yellowish egg crepe.  The accompanying sauce is made from chicken or pork stock, a starch mixture, and fresh garlic.  This variety is not fried and is usually around 2 inches in diameter and 6 inches in length. Definitions from http://en.wikipedia.org

I wrote my blog all afternoon, trying to squeeze everything in my (unused) brain. I stopped blogging, checked my facebook, then watched TV.  At 9:00 PM, I watched the movie 'Sherlock Holmes'.  The movie is good and the actors, Robert Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams, are both my favorites.  The movie was finished at around 11:00 PM.  I unplugged all appliances, except the refrigerator, turned off all the lights, climbed the stairs to the second floor, and went to bed.  Only a minute after I closed my eyes, I heard a very odd sound coming from the shower room. It sounded like someone is typing a text message on a cellphone, with the keypad tones on the maximum volume.  The pressing of the keypad is so fast that I doubt it is my brother's doing.  I dared to open my eyes, and in my great shock, I saw.......

Choose your ending:
a) my mother (again?!?)
b) my guitar capo (yipee!!)
c) a ghost using my cellphone (Hello?..Hell-NO!..)
d) nothing. I turned off the lights, remember??


To be continued...

Tabs, Thesis, and Tikoy

February 4, 2011

No classes today.  No early morning shower.  Nothing important to do.  Our thesis defense is in 17 days.  I am here, sitting, eating, minding nothing.  Though I am the leader, I have no initiative on doing anything right now.  This afternoon, we are supposed to meet the programmer of our prototype, but he doesn't reply to any of my text messages.  So I think this is another idle time for my group.


If you care to read, I will discuss the objectives of our device on the next succeeding sentences.  If it sounds boring, you can skip to the next paragraph, which I think is also boring, so you have no choice haha..  Our thesis is entitled Centralized Power Consumption Monitoring for Tenants in a Boarding House, though this title is still subject to revisions.  We are planning to change it to Electricity Management for Boarders.  After all, the first title is not anymore applicable to what our prototype device can do.  Boarders living in boarding houses that implement a pay-your-own-electricity-and-water-consumption rule is the scope of our project study.  Also, the boarding house must have an electricity meter installed on each of its units.  I admit to myself that this device is not feasible, the scope is very small and the limitations are too many (so, I encourage you to skip this part, but if you really are persistent, then get ready to suffer my sufferings! bwahaha).  The problem we are trying to solve is simple; sharing of electricity expenses of boarders must be fair.  Traditionally, boarders pay equally on electricity usage no matter how much their consumption is.  So for a fair and just sharing of electricity payment, our device forces the user to log-in into it before he/she can use electricity.  This way, the device can monitor whoever uses electricity and how much is consumed.  At the end of the month, when the electricity bill arrives, the boarding house owner must enter the billing amount to the device.  Then, the device will automatically allocate the corresponding amount to be paid by each boarder based on how much their consumption is.


I ate lunch with my mother.  She got home from the site where our new church would be built.  While she is talking about how the progress of the building is going, I suddenly remember the song that I always hear on the radio.  The first time I heard it was, I think, last year in a jeepney on the way to school.  Then I heard it again on the radio while I am on the shower room.  The lyrics was so cool that I searched it on the internet.  I typed 'naaalala kita kahit di ko man gustuhin' on google chrome.  The results showed that the song was entitled 'Ala-ala' from a band named 'KOLLiDE'.  I also learned that the vocalist of the band is Carlo Aquino, an artist I saw on TV.  I tried to search guitar chords for that particular song but there seems to be none, only lyrics and mp3 downloads.


After we ate, I placed the dishes on the sink and washed, not the dishes but, my face because my mother said it was so oily.  I dried my face and turned on the PC to start working on making my own chords for the song I mentioned above.  I created an account on http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/, where I will submit my first tab.  I grabbed my guitar and played the song on http://videokeman.com and started ear-transcribing (you listen to the song, then tab out how you think it is played).  After 3 hours, I finished tabbing the whole song and I am ready to submit it to the website.  But there is a minor problem, KOLLiDE is an unsigned band so I cannot submit the tab under the band name of 'kollide'.  The website suggested using 'Misc Unsigned Band' for the band/artist name and 'kollide - ala ala' as the song title.  So I did what the site suggested then I click 'Submit Your Tab'.  My tab will be reviewed during the next 48 hours, but today is a Friday and the site administrators are out on Saturdays and Sundays.  I think they will start to check my tab on Monday so I hope to see my contribution by Wednesday.


If you want to see my tab first-hand, allow me to write it here.

---------------------------------------------------------------
                                  ALA-ALA - Kollide
---------------------------------------------------------------

Tabbed by: okalitus
Email: chris_082690@yahoo.com

Tuning: Standard

[Intro] G---C;

[1st Verse]
                               G
    Nung tayo ay bata pa
           Am                        Bm
    Ako ay laging nag-aabang sa inyong pintuan
         C
    Makita ka lamang
         G                      Am
    At sa tuwing ikaw ay makakasabay
           Bm                    C
    Ako ay nanghihina parang lantang gulay

[Refrain]
 Am               G
       Pilitin ko man
 Am                  C           D
       Ika'y kalimutan..

[1st Chorus]
                    G            D
    Naalala kita kahit di ko man gustuhin
           Em                              B                                 C
    Ang tanging nais ko ay wag nang maulit ang nakaraan
                                    G---C
    Ayoko nang masaktan

[2nd Verse]
                                 G
    At mayroong isang araw
           Am                   Bm
    Na aking sinubukang ika'y lapitan
      C
    Upang malaman ko
               G
    Kung ako'y napansin mong
                Am
    Laging nasa tabi mo
                Bm                    C
    At handang ibigay ang lahat para sa'yo

[Refrain]
 Am                       G                        Am
        At ang sinabi mo (At ang sinabi mo)
                             C             D
        Ayoko po sa'yo..

Repeat 1st Chorus except last line
                                     (G)
    Ayoko nang masaktan

[Ad Lib] G--F#m--Em--C-- (2x) Chord I use for F#m = 2440xx

[3rd Verse]
                                  G
    Ako ngayon ay nagulat
            Am
    Sa balitang kumakalat
       Bm                             C
    Ako'y iyong hinahanap upang makausap
             G
    Tungkol sa nadarama
                   Am
    Ikaw ngayo'y nangungulila
          Bm                   C
    Pagkat ika'y iniwan at nag-iisa

[Refrain]
 Am                                G                                   Am
       Ngayon ang lambing mo (Ngayon ang lambing mo)
                              C                D
       At sinasabi mong..

[2nd Chorus]
                           G         D
    Naaalala mo ako kahit di mo man gustuhin
           Em                           B                           C
    Ang tanging nais mo ay maulit natin ang nakaraan

Repeat 2nd Chorus

[Outro]
                                 (G)
    At di na ko sasaktan

[Ad Lib] G---F--- Bb-A-G-

My first tab. Please rate and comment. Thanks!!

Lyrics from http://videokeman.com/

My brother came home one day early.  He is supposed to be home every saturday because his work schedule is from monday to saturday.  But because there will be a gathering of organists and choir leaders tomorrow, he excused himself for work tomorrow.  Yesterday is the celebration of Chinese New Year, so we are expecting food souvenirs (pasalubong) from my brother.  As he opened the front door, my younger sister and I shouted "Tikoy! Tikoy!".  Nián gāo or Tikoy, as it is known in the Philippines, means

Nián gāo, Year cake or Chinese New Year's cake is a food prepared from glutinous rice and consumed in Chinese cuisine.  It is considered good luck to eat nian gao during this time, because "nian gao" is a homonym for "higher year."  The Chinese word 粘 (nián), meaning "sticky", is identical in sound to 年, meaning "year", and the word 糕 (gāo), meaning "cake" is identical in sound to 高, meaning "high".  Definiton from http://en.wikipedia.org/

I looked at his hands, he is holding a plastic bag and inside it was a box.  I approached him and helped him with his baggage (actually, the baggage refers to pasalubong hehe ).  I checked the plastic bag and took out the box inside.  Woah! Is this what they call tikoy? (yes, I haven't seen one since... never haha).  The box is colored pink and orange, and had a logo of a cup of smoking coffee with the letters 'DD' printed on the cup.  Then I read the label, 'Dunkin Donuts'.

Birth, Growth, and Death

February 3, 2011

It has been 13 years since my father passed away.  Today is his death anniversary though I barely remember anything about him.  You cannot blame me, I was just 7 years old when he died.  In his funeral, I never felt anything, no depression, no grief, no sorrow.  But seeing people mourning, I tried to be sad, or rather look sad, because I know that the occasion needs it.  Honestly, I am perfectly fine without him maybe because my mother played a very good role as a mother and as well as a father.  When he was still living, my father had an active lifestyle playing basketball during his younger days and bowling during his older days.  He is also a genius in playing chess, in fact, he has a trophy claiming that he is the champion in a local chess tournament.  He used to be a minister in our church.  We always reside temporarily on locales and I always enroll to a new school every year.  From kindergarten to second grade, I had no permanent school but after my father passed away, my mother decided the we live with her relatives here in Bustos and for the first time, I am no longer an NPA.

I tried really hard to wake up early because our group leader in Communication Systems design demanded that anyone who will arrive late at our friend's place will treat everyone in the group.  I woke up 5:30 in the morning only to realize how cooler the weather got.  Every inch of breeze that touches my skin stings and forces me to go back to bed and cover myself with my blanket.  I went down to the living room and jog around the house while throwing punches in the air (hoping that I could knock the cold air out hehe).  I checked my facebook, I ate breakfast, I showered and clothed myself, and I am ready to go.


Today, the Chinese celebrates the birth of another year.  People, especially the Filipino-Chinese community, greet each other with the phrase 'Kung hei fat choi'.  At first, I thought this phrase means Happy New Year in Chinese, but after my research, I learned that it loosely translates to 'Congratulations and be prosperous'.  According to the Chinese, 2011 is the Year of the Metal Rabbit.  Though I am not a believer, I am still curious what the horoscope says.

According to the 2011 Horse horoscope in the metal rabbit year, the Metal Horse who are born in 1930 and 1990 will see many important openings that can open up for them in the rabbit year and thus improving their 2011 outlook.  Metal Horse who are in education will see the rabbit year as a very significant period.  Not all of the Metal Horse plans will go smoothly but there will be many important opportunities opening up for them.  The career star will shine brightly for the Metal Horse in 2011 because once they demonstrate their skills, there will be many promotion possibilities.  On the financial side for the Metal Horse, they will face some big expenses in the Year of the Rabbit.  The love and romance area for the Metal Horse may also face some obstacles in 2011. Horoscope from http://www.aguidetoasia.com

Yesterday, the fare increase on jeepneys has been implemented but only today did I feel the weight of this fare hike.  This morning, I paid a 20 peso bill to the driver and he returned a 5 peso change.  He said that it is a holiday so there is no student discount at the time.  Then, I heard the barker reminding the passengers of a peso increase in the minimum fare.  I really didn't care much on a peso increase if a round trip from my house to the school takes only 2 rides.  But, sadly, I need to have 6 rides to and fro.  That is an additional 6 pesos to my fare expenses.  My 82 pesos a day fare expense has been increased to 88 pesos a day.  When I was in my first year of college, the student fare on jeepneys is 10 pesos for 9 kilometers (from Baliuag to Plaridel or from Plaridel to Malolos).  Now that I am a fifth year, the student fare increased to 13 pesos.  Then, I concluded a silly truth, age is directly proportional to the ride fare.  As we grow older, the fare grows higher, too. :p


After 2 hours on the road, I finally reached my friend's house.  Me and my female friend arrived late so we have to treat the rest of the group.  We bought some snacks and ate those after lunch.  We started to make the design, ate lunch, and returned to the design again.  At about 2:00 PM, me and my female friend decided to go home because I have to attend to the worship service and she have something to do somewhere (the ones who arrived late are also the ones to leave early).  I got home, changed clothes, and slept.  I usually sleep before going to church so that I can fight sleepiness during the lecture.  I was waken by my younger sister, who is, at that time, watching a korean TV series on DVD.  She reminded me of the time of the worship service and I realized that I have only 10 minutes to prepare before the devotional prayers start.  I rushed to do my things and hurried towards the church.  From our house to the chapel is a 2-minute ride on a bicycle.  I drove as fast as I can and fortunately, I arrived on time.


After the worship service, I got home and ate my dinner.  Before I got to bed, I saw the title of the Korean TV series my younger sister was watching earlier.  The DVD cover read 'My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox'.


To be continued...

Unregistered Number

February 2, 2011

My 72-year old aunt called outside my door to wake me up.  My bedroom is on the second floor and she had climbed eight flights of steps.  At her age, she is very strong and capable.  She had been doing household chores for I think the rest of her life.  She is an old maid so she is living with us on my grandparents' house.


Today's temperature is cool so I have my blanket covered all over my body.  My aunt opened the door and shook me.  I asked her for the time and she said 4:30 AM.  The thought that I will be late for our exam, for our first subject, made me jump from my bed.  I was out of my bedroom door when I realized that it is too early for me to prepare.  So I said to myself that I can afford to snooze for about another 30 mins.  I returned to bed and snoozed.  The 'expected' happened... I overslept... as usual.  Our exam is 8:00 AM and it is already 7:00 AM.  My routine every school days is a 30 minute breakfast, another 30 minute shower including putting on my uniform (every Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays) or casual wear (every Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays).  Today is a Wednesday so I picked my Naruto shirt and faded jeans.  My trip to school is around 1 hour and 30 minutes. I am doomed!


Last night, I have been reviewing for my exams on Electronic Navigational Aids and Devices.  It was, as always, a brain-wrecking self study, memorizing terms and re-solving an example problem.  While I was reviewing, I am also online on facebook hoping for a 'miracle' to come.  And like a light coming from the heavens above, thy blessings cometh to thee.. if you know what I mean.. hehe.  My burdens are lifted, I thought, but after reading/answering I realized that there is a problem that I cannot understand.  So I tried to solve it, researched online for solutions and tried again.  Now it is time for me to sleep so I said to myself that I will just go to school early to group study with my classmates/friends.


After finishing a 5-minute meal and a 5-minute shower, I rushed to put on my clothes and shoes.  I picked up my cellphone on the top of the washing machine.  On the phone was an unread text message from our class president.  He said that our instructor moved the time of our exam to 9:00 AM.  I relaxed a little, the timing was perfect and I think I can still have a 20-minute group study.  I grabbed my bag and kissed my mother goodbye.  My mother is the best and the coolest mother in the world.  I say this not just because she is my mother, but because of her good deeds, her knowledge, and her unique way to express her love on her children.  The best mother indeed.


I arrived at school 20 minutes before the examination time.  We reviewed for about an hour until we realized that there is no exam.  The next subject is 10:00 AM and it is already 9:40 AM with no signs of our instructor.  We went to the next classroom on the 5th floor of engineering building (yes, I am an engineering student) only to be recalled down to the 1st floor because my instructor in Project Study decided to meet us early so that we can go home early.  Our scheduled class with her is from 1 PM to 5 PM, but she said that she'll just give us the schedule of activities for our thesis.  After 30 minutes, we got back to the 5th floor and meet with our instructor in Cellular Communications.  He discussed...shouted at my noisy classmates at the back saying that they are free to get out of the class if they have no interest in listening to his lecture.  The whole class silenced but (sadly) nobody dared to get out of the room.


After the lecture, some of my classmates approached my instructor to ask questions about our design project for his subject.  Our group leader for this design project said that we will meet tomorrow (oh no, a holiday!) on our friend's house so that we can do our project.  Before we go home, 2 out of 7 of my close friends and I decided to eat for lunch.  I ordered two meals (two cups of rice and two viands).  After that we separated and went home.

Our organ keyboard look-alike 

Got home, checked my facebook and then practiced organ keyboard with our church's hymns.  I am a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ).  I am a choir member and my brother is the organist.  Before he found a job, he played on every worship service on our chapel.  A total of 7 worship services per week.  The schedule of our worship services on our locale is every Wednesdays (6:45 PM), Thursdays (6:00 AM and 6:30 PM), Saturdays (6:45 PM), and Sundays (6:00 AM, 10:00 AM, and 4:30 PM).  Worship services at 10:00 AM every Sunday is for children from age 4 to before they are baptized, which is usually when they are 12 years old.  After my brother found a job, he can only play on Sundays.  Now, together with other trainees, I am aspiring to be the next organist of our chapel.  Not like before, I think I can now play the organ fluently but slowly.  We have our own organ keyboard on my bedroom and after playing 3 hymns, I felt tired.  So I took a nap that lasted 5 hours hehe.


It is already 9:00 PM when my aunt woke me up again and said that I should eat dinner.  It took a while before I got out of bed and ate.  After eating I checked my cellphone and saw a text message from an unregistered number.  I viewed the message that said 'ludy to'.


To be continued...